1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a stalk cutter device and method of use thereof, and in particular to a dual, spaced stalk cutter device and method of use for obtaining a desired length of plant stalk, particularly a cornstalk, from a desired distance from the ground.
2. Description of the Related Art
Currently in the United States, there are over 100 million acres of corn planted each year, which receives anywhere from 150 to 300 pounds of nitrogen (N) per acre per year. Over the years, there has been an improved N use efficiency of corn in the U.S. given that excess N applications can lead to adverse crop conditions (e.g., disease, lodging) with the off-site environmental impacts of N runoff being the primary concern.
The end-of-season Corn Stalk Nitrate Test (CSNT) was developed to allow corn producers to measure the N status of a corn crop at the end of the growing season prior to harvest and identify whether a field was properly fertilized that season. The CSNT is based on corn plants either removing N from, or accumulating N in, the lower stalk based on soil N availability and relies on the relationship between the amount of N found in the lower stalks late in the growing seasons and the likelihood that corn had been under or over-fertilized. Although the CSNT does not allow producers to make changes for the current growing season, it is an important diagnostic tool for managing nitrogen in subsequent years. The CSNT has been adopted by the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) as a requirement for many of its conservation programs, and as such, more corn producers will be required to take cornstalk samples for the CSNT in the future.
In order to use the CSNT, cornstalks should be sampled at least one week after black layers have formed on about 80% of the kernels of most ears, but can be sampled up to harvest. Areas selected for sampling for the CSNT should be on a uniform soil type and management history. The cornstalk samples are collected by cutting an eight (8)-inch segment of stalk precisely between six (6) and fourteen (14) inches above the soil, with any leaf sheaths being removed from the stalk samples. Any severely damaged or diseased stalks should be avoided during sampling, and at least ten (10) samples should be collected from every ten (10) acres of corn and combined to form a single sample.
Typically producers use machetes or hand pruners and carry a measuring stick in order to collect plant stalk samples. This method is very cumbersome and generally requires two (2) people to be performed properly and accurately. This method generally employed involves selecting a suitable plant stalk, measuring fourteen (14) inches from the soil surface, and then making a first cut with the hand pruners to remove the portion of the stalk above the first cut. The user then has to place the meter stick alongside the stalk and make a second cut at precisely six (6) inches above the soil surface while holding the stalk to prevent it from falling on the soil and getting contaminated. When using this current method, there is the potential for several sources of variability to occur especially when making multiple cuts that low to the ground with either hand pruners or machetes.
Therefore, collecting samples properly and efficiently is a major problem and is a primary limiting factor in the widespread adoption of this diagnostic tool. As more producers are being required to take samples for the CSNT, it is imperative that a tool be developed to allow producers to take the correct portion of the cornstalk in a timely manner. Since the recommended number of samples that is currently being required by the NRCS is ten (10) samples per (10) acres of corn, if the CSNT were fully implemented on all of the corn acreage in the U.S., roughly 100 million corn stalk samples would be required to be taken on an annual basis. As such, the need for a reliable sampling device and method is desperately needed.
It is therefore desirable to provide a stalk cutter device and related method of using the device for obtaining a desired length of plant stalk, particularly a cornstalk, from a desired distance from the ground.
It is further desirable to provide a dual, spaced cornstalk cutter device that aids in the implementation of the CSNT and ensures that collected data is reliable and useful for corn producers.
It is yet further desirable to provide a dual, spaced cornstalk cutter device that is configured to cut and remove an eight (8)-inch section of stalk from exactly six (6) to fourteen (14) inches above the soil surface.
It is still yet further desirable to provide a dual, spaced cornstalk cutter device that increases the precision of the cuts in a single motion reducing the need for multiple tools and ensures that the proper portion of the cornstalk is sampled.
It is still yet further desirable to provide a dual, spaced cornstalk cutter device that increases the number of samples that a person can take reducing labor costs and other needs.
It is still yet further desirable to provide a dual, spaced cornstalk cutter device having spacers and two (2) cutting surfaces that allow the user to make accurate cuts in a single motion without the need to carry multiple items in the field.
It is still yet further desirable to provide a dual, spaced cornstalk cutter device having spacers that allow the stalk samples to be taken quickly and efficiently while ensuring that the correct portion of the stalk is removed.
It is still yet further desirable to provide a dual, spaced cornstalk cutter device that retains the eight (8)-inch stalk sample between the two (2) cutting surfaces until the user removes the sample from the device to ensure that the sample does not fall to the soil surface and become contaminated.
Other advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description and from the claims.